[sig226]

"The tea table shall be set forth every morning with its customary bill of fare, and without any manner of defalcation." ... This line ... is an example of the earliest ... sense of "defalcation," which is simply defined as "curtailment."

They were going to curtail the tea table! Those bastards.

[secret garden]

A because you just cracked me up, using my favorite profane remark, though I preface it with rat.